Newsletter
Navigation has become a very hot item lately. It has evolved from a separate GPS device to a smartphone app and finally to an integrated in-dash infotainment platform. Our smartphones made the stand-alone GPS obsolete in most cases and now the in-dash systems are rendering our smartphone apps virtually unnecessary. Magellan, a leader in GPS devices and software for vehicles, fitness, outdoor and mobile navigation made a couple big announcements at CES in Las Vegas concerning their popular SmartGPS Navigation application.
The first big announcement is that Jaguar Land Rover selected it as the lead navigation application for their InControl Infotainment platform on model year 2016 vehicles. The second major announcement is that their SmartGPS navigation software will be integrated into Bosch SoftTec’s mySpin Infotainment platform and will be available in Google’s Play Store in 2015. These partnerships mark the first integration of Magellan’s SmartGPS smartphone navigation into the automotive OEM infotainment platforms.
Stig Pedersen, associate vice president of product management at Magellan commented, “Magellan is honored that its SmartGPS platform has been selected by a company as prestigious and well-known as Jaguar Land Rover to be its lead navigation solution for its upcoming 2016 model year. Our Magellan SmartGPS Eco aggregates and integrates unlimited content into a single stream, and delivered onto the navigation map, and into any standardized user interface. It is an excellent match with Jaguar Land Rover’s heritage in premium automotive design and quality. Our partnership with Jaguar Land Rover allows us to integrate with a variety of vehicle types, from convertibles to luxury sedans to sport utility vehicles.”
On the Bosch partnership he said, “The Bosch SoftTec mySPIN is an easy way to link smartphones to vehicles’ infotainment systems. Our companies are similar in that we both have years of experience in our respective fields and are looked upon as leaders in our specific industries. That our award-winning SmartGPS navigation solution and their mySPIN smartphone integration solution work so well together should come as no surprise.”
This complete navigation solution from Magellan provides their systems with the following features and content presented with the navigation map:
Turn-by-Turn Navigation with Landmark Guidance – Voice-guided navigation using landmarks as a guide versus street names (available with subscription).
Real Time IP Traffic – Drivers can navigate efficiently by checking their route for traffic conditions (with turn-by-turn navigation subscription).
Yelp & Foursquare – Receive suggestions, reviews and tips for local businesses from Yelp and Foursquare, including restaurants and shops, and seamlessly navigate to those locations.
Social Media check-in – Drivers can check into their destination location on Yelp or Foursquare directly from the Magellan SmartGPS app.
Last Mile Navigation – Drivers enjoy seamless transfer of their navigation route from head unit to smartphone, to complete their journey on foot.
The entire time you are driving, the SmartGPS app will access the cloud to deliver rich, location-relevant information in “squares” that are shown on the vehicle head unit display (see the above picture). The user can then tap on a square and detailed information is displayed including the address, phone and any available special offers or consumer reviews, plus an icon to seamlessly start navigation to that selection, if so desired. The smartphone app will be available in the Google Play Store in Q1 2015. The Magellan SmartGPS apps are free, however, for a one year subscription for in-app purchase for turn-by-turn navigation with IP traffic is $19.99 or for a three year subscription is $49.99.